Homemade Dumplings

A few hundred years ago, a tradition began that mandated people eat only dumplings on the Chinese New Year. Nowadays, pre-prepared dumplings can be found in any Chinese store. Even so, homemade dumplings have a certain indescribable flavor that can't be found in store-bought brands. If you still don't think it's worth the trouble, making dumplings is a fun experience, and the results are more than worth the effort put into it. So find a nice Saturday afternoon, gather the entire family and have lots of fun making your own dumplings!

Dumpling Materials

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Preparation

Step 1 - Dough

2. Knead well without making dough too soft

3. Let rest for half an hour

Step 2 – Filling

2. Mix ground pork with the egg, ginger, salt, black pepper, soy sauce and oyster sauce in mixing bowl

3. Stir for 10 minutes

4. Add 1/3 cup of water

5. Chop up celery with blender

6. Put minced celery into boiling water for 2 minutes

7. Take out minced celery and put into cold water to cool it down

8. Take out minced celery, squeeze water out and add to mixing bowl

9. Add vegetable oil and sesame oil into mixing bowl and stir

Step 3 - Dumpling

2. Cut dough into 50 small pieces

3. Roll each piece into a peel with rolling pin. Note – It may be useful to apply a little dry flour to the piece first to prevent sticking

4. Put a tsp. of filling to the center of the peel

5. Fold the peel in half covering the filling and press the edges together

Step 4 - Cooking

2. Stir dumplings slowly for 10 minutes to prevent sticking onto bottom of pot. They must float on top of the water. If dumplings stick to the bottom, they may be overcook or rip

3. Boil dumplings for additional 10 minutes

4. Repeat 1-3 for remaining dumplings

5. Serve! (with vinegar or soy sauce dip)